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Help with internet please

I have a Christmas tree lot in a large parking lot in a strip mall. I would like to get WIFI capability there so I can view my security cameras from home on my phone and PC as well as stream music. There is a comcast hotspot at a business close to me but the signal goes in and out. Is there a booster I can get and just use that? Is there a time limit on comcast hotspots? If that does not work are there any other suggestions on how I can get internet there for the month? Thanks in advance for your help

Location:My own little corner of the universe (somewhere in Alabama). It's OK, they know me here

Local time:10:07 AM

Posted 03 August 2016 - 09:32 AM

As a Comcast customer there are no time limits on connecting to an Xfinity hotspot.
However, a prolonged period of inactivity will result in automatic disconnection. Unfortunately, I have no clue what they considered "prolonged".

Any service you get would probably work better, but most wireless isn't priced for streaming video. The reason that the signal goes in and out is because of vehicle traffic.

The real question is how much are you willing to pay for another solution?

I have a Karma hotspot for when I need wireless. The pricing isn't great if you need a lot of data. On the other hand it would also give your customers access to wireless and when they access it you get more data.

The reason the app says it needs a cable connection is because you need a direct NAT connection. Many cellular and wireless Mesh ISPs use "carrier grade NAT" which is to say the IP assigned to your cellular device may also be used by someone else at the same time. Cable ISP use DHCP IPs which are assigned to the unique MAC address on the modems. The IP address changes, but only one device can use a IP at a time. Business class ISP or some DSL ISP's use static IPs that are either assigned or cached to your device. The reason the type of IP is important is it determines how the cameras have to be set up. If the IP is DHCP, then a DDNS client on the router is needed to track the IP.

Your best bet is to contact the cellular provider of your choice and see if they can provide a cellular device that provides a public IP. Most will require a GPS antenna be set up that will check your location so keep that in mind. This is to stop people from using those types of devices as roaming broadband. Also make sure the modem they give assign you either does NOT have any routing capabilities or it CAN do port forwarding. If you have a provider in mind I can give specifics.

With CNAT, you still show a public IP to websites. That IP can be traced to multiple people using that same CNAT. Direct from your link:

" for example, the system might block a spamming user by banning the IP address which represents them. If that user happens to be behind carrier-grade NAT, other users sharing the same public IP with the spammer will be mistakenly blocked.[6]"

So if you get a IP from the modem/device of private IP 100.64.0.1, which will point to public 166.128.0.1. Not only do ports have to be forwarded from 100.64.0.1 to 166.128.0.1 but since multiple people are behind the 166.128.0.1 IP, it would only work with one person. Another words, trying to get the ISP to forward the ports is pointless.

What I don't understand is you go out of your way to correct me to say you can't forward with cellular CNAT after you mention using cellular even though OP says that won't work with his app. Which is it; will cellular work or not work for OP's issue?

Yes but there is a private ip network between you and the public ip which is why you can't forward.

"That IP can be traced to multiple people"

and

" If that user happens to be behind carrier-grade NAT, other users sharing the same public IP with the spammer will be mistakenly blocked"

It was not clear from your statements that the block is against the public ip of the private lan you are going through. After all you can't block a private ip address in a public namespace. In most cases of NAT its many to one as in one public ip to many, but not the same, private ip addresses. And actually you can't trace past the public wan ip if there is any kind of proper config/firewall and you couldn't trace to people. If you could trace it would be devices.

"which is to say the IP assigned to your cellular device may also be used by someone else at the same time"

I see this differently. The cellular device would have a private ip address which would be unique on that lan. What I think you saying is that you are talking about the public ip address that the cellular devices has to go through to get to the public ip.

Think of using CNAT with a router as two private routers in series [public ip(wan interface)<>router<>(lan interface)<>private ip(wan interface)<>router<>(lan interface)<>hosts in private ip lan where the cameras would be.

"you go out of your way to correct me"

Not my intention. Thought I was clarifying.

"Which is it; will cellular work or not work for OP's issue?"

Worked fine for the building site and their security cameras. It was quite a while into the project before telephone /fiber were delivered to the site. Cameras could pan the entire 180 degree of each camera. Certainly worth talking to a wireless carrier.